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Unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk stole the show – even bursting into song – as he came face-to-face with Briton Anthony Joshua before their fight in Jeddah on Saturday.
Joshua lost his crown to the Ukrainian in a convincing points defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.
The 32-year-old was reserved at the media conference, but said he intends to “get the job done” this time around.
“That’s it, I must win. I like the pressure,” Joshua added.
“I want to compete. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t really say much else. You’ve got to have a competitive spirit. I’m looking forward to it.”
Usyk – dressed in traditional Ukrainian attire – added: “We learned [about] each other in the first fight. He learned [about] me, I learned [about] him.
“I don’t think the last bout will be continued from round 13. We had enough time to study with each other. This Saturday night will be a great, great fight.”
The defending champion sang a Ukrainian folk song, made popular again by those promoting independence and peace in Ukraine since the invasion of Russia.
Joshua has faced criticism in previous fights for either being too jovial or showing too much respect to his opponent.
But the Londoner will rarely become embroiled in the theatrics of the sport; he prides himself on being humble and a role model for boxing.
He was a man of few words but analytical as always as he came face-to-face with Usyk for the first time on fight week.
“It’s competition right? We’ve set a goal. I’ve got goals I want to achieve in the ring on the night. I need to be disciplined enough to follow them through,” Joshua said.
“That’s that competition with myself. You mention the belt, they mean something, but that’s all at the end of the target.
“It’s not like I’m skipping the process. I’m focused on the process. I’m focused on the process.”
Throughout the build-up to this clash, Joshua’s mental state has been under the spotlight, with some in the boxing world questioning his motivations for taking the fight. Some unconfirmed reports have suggested he could earn up to £100m.
Yesterday, he kept it simple. A lot of his comments surrounded thanking his team and his sparring partners.
